Why did David insist on paying "the full price" for the offering? The Setting: Sin, Judgment, and Mercy • David’s unauthorized census provoked divine anger (1 Chronicles 21:1–7). • God sent a devastating plague; 70,000 men fell (21:14). • The angel of the LORD halted at Ornan’s threshing floor—God’s chosen place of mercy (21:15). David at the Threshing Floor • Directed by the prophet Gad, David went “to erect an altar to the LORD” there (21:18). • Ornan offered both site and oxen freely (21:23). • David replied, “ ‘No, I insist on paying the full price, for I will not take for the LORD what is yours or offer a burnt offering that costs me nothing.’ ” (1 Chronicles 21:24). • He paid 600 shekels of gold (21:25), modeling costly obedience. Why Paying the Full Price Mattered • Authentic Worship Requires Personal Cost – Sacrifice must flow from the worshiper’s own devotion, not another’s generosity (cf. Leviticus 1:3). • Sin Carries Real Consequences – David’s purchase underscored that forgiveness is never cheap; atonement involves true expense (Hebrews 9:22). • Ownership Affirms Responsibility – By buying the threshing floor, David acknowledged his personal guilt and duty to make restitution (Numbers 5:6–7). • Integrity before God and People – As king, David avoided any appearance of exploiting subjects for spiritual gain (2 Samuel 24:24, parallel account). • Foreshadowing the Ultimate Cost – David’s costly offering points forward to Christ, who “gave Himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:6). Lessons for Today’s Believer • Worship that honors God involves tangible surrender—time, talents, resources. • Grace is free to receive yet priceless in value; our response should mirror that worth (Romans 12:1). • Integrity in giving safeguards our witness and magnifies God’s holiness (Malachi 1:8). God’s Response • “Then the LORD answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering” (1 Chronicles 21:26). • The plague ceased; mercy triumphed through a costly, wholehearted sacrifice. |
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